10 People Types You’ll Find At NYWC | A People Watching Guide

Youth Specialties

May 19th, 2020

If you’ve been to any conference, you’ll meet people you otherwise probably never would have met. At NYWC, our 51st year will be a first class youth worker experience, and people watching will be a high demand activity. We at Youth Specialties have compiled your official NYWC People Watching Guide. Be on the look out for all the spectacular types and characters representing the world of youth workers at NYWC 2020!

(Disclaimer – not all people types will be represented EXACTLY in their proposed forms at NYWC 2020. Some specific types are just too powerful to show themselves, publicly, at NYWC 2020)

The Check-In Volunteer That Makes You Feel At Home

NYWC is designed to feel like you’re “coming home” as a youth workers. The legacy and history of the National Youth Workers Convention gives everyone chills in how we are all connected to one another through such a powerful experience. Meet Rachel. Rachel is a real person who loves NYWC and loves checking in attendees. She’ll be the first, of many, who will make you feel like you have arrived at home when you arrive at NYWC.

The Squad That Gives You FOMO

NYWC loves all types of attendees, but there’s something special about the group that just gives you the feeling that you’re missing out because you’re not part of their squad. Maybe it’s because they have a bluetooth speaker in their bag that plays disco music as they are walking through the Exhibit Hall, or it’s probably because they managed to find the best smoothie shop in the whole city and they all got the venti smoothie. Regardless…you wish you were a part of the squad that gives you massive Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).

The Psyched Up Exhibitor Guy

Our Exhibit Hall is literally the best youth ministry Exhibit Hall in the world. And the best part are all the psyched up exhibitors who are ready to help you power your future ideas for student grow. Sunday Cool, one of our epic youth ministry friends and exhibitors, is one of those psyched up exhibitors who is ready to idea share and connect about great ideas in the NYWC Exhibit Hall. Not to mention, they will help you get your exhibitor selfie fix.

The NYWC Handbook Memorizer

There’s nothing wrong with memorizing the schedule or handbook. The handbook is there to serve you. But, the handbook isn’t the supremely authoritative Word of God. Maybe memorizing it doesn’t make you all the better off in enjoying all the experiences at NYWC. However, it may make you feel pretty great about yourself that you know when Walt Mueller’s breakout is going to be at the drop of a hat.

The Middle School Student Pretender

He’s the guy that is impressing everyone with his awkward social skills, his classy dress, and his massive backpack. No one ever will be able to match his desire to be Tik Tok famous, or even better, desire to be NYWC famous. The massive backpack is full of dreams, Hot Cheetos, and plenty of games for his Nintendo Switch. You’ll be lucky to get a selfie with him.

The Elite Breakout Attendee (EBA)

Across the NYWC experience are well over 60 breakouts designed for your learning and engagement. In any given breakout, unofficial estimates put the “Elite Breakout Attendee” (EBA) at almost 8.5% of the official breakout attendance. Key indicators of an EBA include some form of note taking equipment, typically a seat closest to the front, a published book by the speaker to be autographed afterwards, and is usually at the breakout 5-10 minutes before it starts.

The Bookstore Snob

There are certain types of NYWC attendees that know unashamedly, exactly who they are, and they are not going to apologize. Bookstore Snobs probably already have all 215 titles on stock in the NYWC bookstore on their shelves, but they are looking for the “one” they, maybe, don’t already have. They are striking up conversations with other attendees about their personal favs in ministry reads recently. They are also getting their digital downloads ordered long before the convention is even halfway over. We love Bookstore Snobs. They do what we do, and love what we love.

The Overachieving Attendee

Don’t get us wrong, we love watching youth workers go all out in everything they do. But 7am group exercise on the first day of convention? We’ll have them for sure at NYWC 2020. If you’re one of these, please be empowered. Just don’t be too hyped up if everyone else slept in until 9AM on the first day of convention and their biggest sense of overachieving is the fact that they remembered to bring their attendee badge.

The Exhibit Hall SWAG Snagger

Yes we know, the Exhibit Hall SWAG is first class stuff. However, do you really need to put on a hat/glasses to make yourself look different going after the SWAG a second time around? Do you really need a second suitcase to get all your stuff home? We suppose so. Just understand, some of us may be minimalist and not be all that into SWAG. If you are, you’ll find a home at NYWC.

Everyone else…

Maybe you don’t fit into a type. That’s okay. You’ll find a home at NYWC. If you do what we do, and love what we love (Students + Jesus), then you are our type. We may be ridiculous at times with our SWAG, or elite with our breakout attendance, but we are passionate, caring, dynamic, and hopeful youth workers who believe the best about students, and long to connect them with Jesus + the Church.